Growth v. Fixed Mindset

When learning new skills and information, there are two basic mindsets: fixed and growth-oriented. What differs between the two is that in a fixed mindset, if one doesn’t complete an answer correctly, “you think, I’m nothing, I’m nowhere.” (00:07) In a growth mindset, upon completing an answer incorrectly, you have not failed, “you understand that you’re on a learning curve. It gives you a path into the future.” (00:07) Though seemingly simple, studies have shown that shifting your mindset to one of growth rather than failure has had massively positive effects on students everywhere at all levels.

How do you stimulate a growth mindset?

One way to stimulate a growth mindset is what Dweck calls, “praising wisely.” (04:00) In the past, educators have encouraged and praised being correct all of the time. This is an unrealistic and ultimately toxic practice. By praising the time and effort students put into learning, you are encouraging kids to be “hardy and resilient” (04:00) in the face of struggle.

Another way that educators can stimulate a growth mindset is the use of the word “yet.” “Just the words ‘yet’ or ‘not yet,’ we’re finding, give kids greater confidence, give them a path into the future that creates greater persistence.” (05:16) Using this simple practice, studies have shown that neurons in the brain become stronger “and over time, they can get smarter.” (05:16)

Personally, I cannot agree more with these methods of teaching. In my experience coming from a school system that promotes a fixed mindset rather than one of growth, the “smartest” students got better grades not because they have a deeper understanding of the subject because they study constantly, memorize everything, and are very hard on themselves when perfection isn’t achieved. This creates a very unhealthy internal environment for those kids while simultaneously making the kids who don’t have that capacity feel worse about themselves. Parents and teachers should still be very happy when a student does well on an assignment, but focus on how that student succeeded should be first and foremost.

The Meaning of Intelligence

As a student in school, you receive points on a test for every correct answer you get. But many times there is an unsaid goal across the classroom saying “if I finish first it shows this was easy for me, and I’m smarter than you.” I think that this standard is unintentionally reinforced by teachers across America through programs like “Fast Math” which encourages speed to be equal to correctness. For many students, “effort and difficulty [make] them feel dumb.” (08:16) By encouraging the “process” through a growth mindset, schools in low-income areas are performing amazingly well: “In one year, a kindergarten class in Harlem, New York scored in the 95th percentile on the national achievement test.” (06:27) Dweck is saying that intelligence isn’t about how quickly you can get the answer right, but how you can persevere when the answer isn’t clear. Those are the moments that develop new and stronger neurons which, truly, make kids smarter.

A Fixed Mindset Moment in My Life

Thinking back on times when I had a fixed mindset, I was remembering my time in freshman English. It was an honors class and in the first few weeks, I came to realize that honors didn’t necessarily mean more critical thinking but it certainly meant more busywork. I was discouraged that I was only challenged in how much time I could spend doing assignments rather than on how deeply I could think. Because of this, I found myself only reading what I had to (or just using SparkNotes) and taking other shortcuts to get the grade. I became uninterested in most of the topics that came up throughout the year and probably didn’t do as well as I could in the class. Fast forward to my junior year I had an English teacher that really valued the “process,” thinking deeply about the material, and loved to have discussions around it. On tests, instead of making them in a “one-right-answer” format, she made it so you could get more points for how in-depth your answer was. This type of environment changed my perspective on English class. I began putting in more effort and (believe it or not) started to be interested in some of the topics we discussed. Not only did this help my grade but it also made me feel better about my time spent in school.